Tube-closing machinery



`1,592,129 F. J. sToKr-:s

TUBE CLOSING MACHINERY July 143, 192e.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1923 5 E on@ N man P. 9 N/w M 2 f h Yf 1, n WQUMQ 2 d@ 1l. ouv ,.S. m C. 2N. a HW Y u 1.3 h Sm@N Ewk Mw TG Sm .c WF

July 13", 1926.

Patented July 13, 1926.

n iran srrss FRANCIS J. STOKE'S, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TUBE-CLOSING- MACHINERY.

Application led February 18, 1923. Serial' No. 619,344.

Soft metal tubes having one of their ends folded upon itself and reinforced by a metal clip are used as containers for many substances. and materials. These metal clips 5 or reinforcements which are attached to the ends of collapsible tubes to prevent the folds from opening under pressure, have heretofore been made as a distinctlyv separate operation and have been placed by hand on l the folded end of tubes and then clinched to place.

The principal object of the present invention is to save the labor and Waste involved in making these clips separately and also 15 the labor required for placing them by hand on the ends of the tubes.

My invention is embodied in a mechanism Which can be attached to any tube closing machine and which feeds a metal ribbon from Which the clips are out through a punching element which cuts off a piece of the ribbon of the required length and then forms it into a suitable clip, and Which mechanism includes a track or horn or other suitable delivery means for carrying the clip when made to the end of a closed tube.

The invention further comprises the improvements to be presently described and finally claimed.

30 In the following description reference Will be made to the accompanying drawings,

forming part hereof, and in Which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view With parts removed or omitted and embodying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan View of the attachment for making clips from a ribbon.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of parts shovvn at the upper portion of Fig. 2.

@U Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the right hand end of the parts shown in Fig. 2, also illustrating a part of a delivery horn or track. y

Fig. 5 is a sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale, illustrating features of the clip blank bending mechanism, and

Fig. 6 is a view illustrating a modification of the clip delivery devices.

In the drawings 1 and 2 are punches and dies for notching the edges of a metal ribbon a to demarcate clip blanks. The notches are shown at b in Fig. 3. 3 and 4 are shearing dies arranged to one side of the punches and dies 1 and 2 and they operate to cut off clip r blanks singly from the ribbon. 5 and 6 are bending dies adapted to operate centrally of a blank and they are arranged to one side of and at a lovver level than the shearing dies 3 and 4, and they receive a blank sheared from the ribbon by the shearing dies, which blank falls into them. The bending die 6 is provided With spaced feet 7 Fig. 5, Which support the blank prior to bending and from Which it is released by the bending of the blank. In Fig. 5 c indicates a blank resting'upon the feet 7 and the dotted line and arrows indicate how the blank clears the feet When bent into the position shown at c on the portion 8 of the die 6. The track or horn 9 underlies and is aligned Withithe part 8 so that the clip drops onto the horn or track 9 by gravity and is delivered by riding on the track or horn. 10 is one embodiment of a tube carrier Which is adapted to receive tubes Z and by its motion of revolution present the same to clinching mechanism indicated at 11 and arranged for operation in the path of the carrier 10. The parts indicated at 10 and 11 are usual provisions of tube closing machines Which are Well understood in the art. The horn or track 9 is arranged to project into the line of travel of the carrier 10 in advance of the clinching mechanism 11 and in position for the clips to slide onto the folded ends of the tubes in order to be clinched thereon by the clinching mechanism 11.

It Will be understood that the ribbon a is fed intermittently from, for example, a reel 90 by feed Wheels 12 and 13, of Which the feed Wheel 13 has a high part 14 so that the feed Wheels may be turned continuously and Will feed intermittently. There are, of course, means for operating the dies which at each 95 operation produce a finished clip, although at each operation the three steps of notching, shearing and bending are completed. The carrier and clinching mechanism also require means for operating them. The va- 100 rious operating means need not be particularly described and illustrated because those skilled in the art will be able to supply the same Without the exercise of invention, and it is suflicient to say that they should be 105 interconnected, timed or co-ordinated in order to perform the described operation in the order Which has been or Will be herein described.

The mode of operation may be explained no as follows: The ribbon a is intermittentl fed to the clip forming attachment Whic may be mounted on the frame of the tube closing machine and driven from the power shaft thereof, and the clip forming attachment makes the clips and delivers them onto the ends of the tubes Where they are clinched. No hand labor and practically no supervision is required, so that the operation is inexpensive and automatic.

The construction and mode of operation of the moditication shown in Fig. 6 are as above described, except that what may be called a` shuttle device is employed for plae ing the clips on the folded ends of the tubes. This shuttle device consists of a reciprocating plate l5 and a fixed plate 16 having an opening 17 clear through it. The clips are delivered to the opening 1T When the plates are in overlapping position and dropped from the opening when the plates are moved out of thaty relation.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention relates that modiications may be made in details of construction, arrangement, application and mere matters of form Without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is not limited in respect t0 such things or otherwise than as the prior art and the appended claims may require.

I claim:

1.111 tube closing machinery the combination of a clip forming attachment, a carrier for tubes having folded ends, a clinching mechanism arranged in the path of the carrier, and means for delivering.

FRANCIS J. STOKES. 

